Sleeving apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for sleeving butcher&#39;&#39;s netting onto a magazine comprising, a sleeving device having an opening therein, a supply of netting extending through the opening to the magazine, resilient fingers surrounding the opening and extending thereinto and having offset free ends adapted for engagement with the netting on the magazine, whereby, upon movement of the sleeving device in one direction the offset free ends of the fingers engage the netting and load it onto the magazine, and upon movement of the sleeving device in an opposite direction, the offset free ends of the fingers slide freely relative to the netting preparatory for the next purchase.

United States Patent Soodalter [54] SLEEVING APPARATUS Arnold Soodalter, 134 Tanglewood Drive, Longmeadow, Mass. 01106 [22] Filed: May 27, 1970 [2]] Appl. No; 41,005

[72] Inventor:

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 791,596, Jan.' 16,

3,412,523 11/1968 Raymond et al ..53/197 Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee Attorney-Kenwood Ross and Chester E. Flavin [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for sleeving butcher's netting onto a magazine comprising, a sleeving device having an opening therein, a supply of netting extending through the opening to the magazine, resilient fingers surrounding the opening and extending thereinto and having offset free ends adapted for engagement with the netting on the magazine, whereby, upon movement of the sleeving device in one direction the offset free ends of the fingers engage the netting and load it onto the magazine, and upon movement of the sleeving device in an op posite direction, the offset free ends of the fingers slide freely relative to the netting preparatory for the next purchase.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPRZSIBYZ 3,657 861 sum 10F 3 INVENTOR. ARNOLD SOODALTER ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEDAPR 2 5 I972 SHEET 3 0F 3 FIG.4.

FIG.5.

INVENTOR. ARNOLD SOODALTER W Q BY mwm ATTORNEYS.

SLEEVING APPARATUS This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 791,596 filed Jan. 16, 1969.

The invention is directed to apparatus for sleeving netting onto tubes or containers or magazines.

To my knowledge butcher's netting has always been so sleeved completely by hand without the use of any tools.

It is a primary object hereof to provide a device for quickly and easily sleeving butchers netting onto a supply roll or tube or magazine.

Another object is the provision of a sleeving device which is extremely simple in its construction so as to be inexpensive in its manufacture and uncomplicated in its manner of use.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of sleeving apparatus incorporating a preferred form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view similar to FIG. 1 with the netting omitted;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the sleeving apparatus with parts omitted for clarity;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary top plan view of the netting guide rolls of the sleeving apparatus, and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, part-sectional and elevational view of one of the netting engaging fingers and the netting magazine of the sleeving apparatus.

In the butchers trade, large cuts of meat are often encased in a sock-like sleeve of an elastic netting, the netting being applied thereto at a stuffing horn or like machine.

The netting is contained on hollow magazines of various sizes to accommodate different cuts of meat.

Heretofore, the sleeving of the netting on the magazines has been done by hand, the operator grasping the netting between his hands and pushing it down over the magazine. Of course, this procedure has been time-consuming and expensive.

By use of the invention hereof, a plurality of magazines may be quickly and easily loaded or sleeved with netting.

In the drawing, the netting is indicated at and comprises stretchable longitudinally and laterally extending strands interconnected to form an open-ended sock-like structure.

The netting is drawn from a roll or supply reel 12 thereof and is sleeved upon a magazine 14, preferably, but not necessarily, tubular and formed from a transparent, easy to clean plastic, the magazine being releasably supported or sleeved upon a stand 16 extending upwardly from a base 18.

Pins 20 may be inserted into aligned openings in the magazine and stand to preclude magazine rotation during loading.

Netting roll or supply reel 12 is mounted for rotation on a raised platform 22 supported upwardly of base 18 by rods 24.

The netting passes from the roll to a pair of guide rollers 26, loaded as by springs 28 and rotatably mounted in brackets 30 fixed to the upper surface of platform 22.

The lower roller of the pair is free to move vertically, it being mounted at its ends in elongated slots 32 in the brackets 30.

The netting passes between the guide rollers and downwardly through a provided opening 34 in platform 22. Its lower end is sleeved upon magazine 14 by a sleeving subassembly, generally indicated by 40, mounted for vertical reciprocation relative to rods 24.

Sleeving subassembly 40 comprises a plate-like body 42 slideably mounted relative to rods 24 and having a central opening 44 therein of slightly larger size than that of magazine 14, and a plurality of resilient fingers 46 surrounding opening 44 and having free end hook portions 48 extending into the opening so as to define an opening concentric with opening 44 and ofslightly smaller size than that ofmagazine 14.

An offset lower end portion 50 of each finger 46 is disposed in a groove 52, (see FIG. 5), on the lower surface of a retaining ring 54 fixed to body 42 as by bolts 56, thereby effectively retaining the lower end of the finger while permitting free flexing movement of the hook portion thereof, for purposes to appear.

Handle members 58 fixed to the upper surface of body 42 and sleeved on rods 24 facilitate vertical reciprocation of the sleeving subassembly.

Magazine 14 is provided with a removable cap 60 for the sleeving operation, the cap having a handle 62 to facilitate its removal from the magazine when the magazine has been fully loaded with netting.

The cap is provided with a plurality of vertically extending grooves 64, there being a groove for each of the resilient fingers 46, with the hook portion 48 of each finger being so positioned as to be adapted to bear on the base of its groove as the sleeving subassembly is reciprocated relative to the cap.

In use, the netting is slipped through opening 44 of the sleeving subassembly and over the cap and the upper end of the magazine. The sleeving subassembly is then moved downwardly so that hook portions 48 of resilient fingers 46 engage the netting. The sleeving subassembly is then pushed downwardly along and relative to the cap and magazine with the fingers carrying the netting to the lower end of the magazine.

On such downward stroke of the sleeving subassembly, the hook portions of the resilient fingers are able to hook over the horizontally extending strands of the netting since the strands are stretched taut over the grooves 64 in the cap and the hook portions extend into the grooves.

On the upward stroke of the sleeving subassembly from the bottom of the magazine to the cap, the hook portions do not grip the netting, but pass freely thereover.

When the subassembly reaches the magazine cap, it is moved rapidly downwardly to push more netting onto the magazine. This procedure is repeated until the magazine is completely filled with netting, at which time the netting is cut, the pins 20 and cap 60 are removed, and the loaded magazine is raised from stand 16 and replaced with an empty magazine, whereupon the loading procedure is repeated.

Latch means 66 is provided for latching the sleeving subassembly to platform 22 when the subassembly is in a raised, non-operative position, as shown in FIG. 1.

While the sleeving device has been shown as of the handoperated type, it could be automatically operated with equal facility.

The spring loaded rollers 26 keep sufficient tension on the netting so that it does not roll off the reel 12 too freely on the downward stroke of the sleeving subassembly.

I claim:

1. A device for loading a continuous length of elastic butchers netting upon a removable meat stuffing horn for holding and subsequently dispensing same therefrom comprising:

a base for releasably locating the horn in a vertically extending position,

a guide cap mountable on the horn and having a plurality of equispaced peripherally-disposed vertically extending grooves,

a plurality of upstanding guide rods fixed to the base,

an elevated apertured platform supported upwardly of and spaced from the base by means of the guide rods,

a supply of netting carried by the platform,

guide means for paying out the netting downwardly through the aperture in the platform,

an apertured sleeving plate guidedly mounted on the guide rods and slidable vertically between the base and platform in parallel spaced relation to the longitudinal axis of the horn and with the horn being receivable through the aperture of the sleeving plate,

a plurality of equispaced net pulling resilient hooked fingers mounted on the sleeving plate in circumscribing manner about the aperture and each being extendable inwardly toward and into a respective groove in the cap as the sleeving plate is guided downwardly past the cap for engaging a portion of the netting and pulling it downwardly over the outer surface of the horn upon downward movement of the sleeving plate and for slidably returning over the outer surface of the so loaded netting upon upward movement of the sleeving plate. 

1. A device for loading a continuous length of elastic butcher''s netting upon a removable meat stuffing horn for holding and subsequently dispensing same therefrom comprising: a base for releasably locating the horn in a vertically extending position, a guide cap mountable on the horn and having a plurality of equispaced peripherally-disposed vertically extending grooves, a plurality of upstanding guide rods fixed to the base, an elevated apertured platform supported upwardly of and spaced from the base by means of the guide rods, a supPly of netting carried by the platform, guide means for paying out the netting downwardly through the aperture in the platform, an apertured sleeving plate guidedly mounted on the guide rods and slidable vertically between the base and platform in parallel spaced relation to the longitudinal axis of the horn and with the horn being receivable through the aperture of the sleeving plate, a plurality of equispaced net pulling resilient hooked fingers mounted on the sleeving plate in circumscribing manner about the aperture and each being extendable inwardly toward and into a respective groove in the cap as the sleeving plate is guided downwardly past the cap for engaging a portion of the netting and pulling it downwardly over the outer surface of the horn upon downward movement of the sleeving plate and for slidably returning over the outer surface of the so loaded netting upon upward movement of the sleeving plate. 